MUBIVIEWS

curator's note

For the final MUBIVIEWS of the summer, our writers to consider Vic Sarin’s THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014), a harrowing documentary that examines albinism within Tanzanian culture and the people that are persecuted because of it​.

OTHERING

GEORGE LEE

Othering is a process in which a majority of people are treated as ‘us’ and the remaining minority are seen as ‘them’. The ‘them’ are then referred to in less than human terms and treated as completely alien from the seemingly normal society. They are no longer seen as people but ultimately seen and therefore treated as less than. Othering is often applied to a member of society who does not adhere to societal norms. This is often the case in cinema which has a long a sordid history of enhancing these stereotypes, from early cinema’s treatment of women to recent African American representation. The film THE BOY FROM GEITA (Vic Sarin 2014) attempts to not only highlight these issues but show them in an honest and subsequently horrifying light.

The film follows a young Tanzanian boy, Adam and his persecution for being an Albino. The film focuses heavily on this aspect of othering. The characters in the film tell their stories of how in Tanzania albinos are especially vulnerable to persecution. These scenes are heartbreaking as the children experienced truly atrocious events but even more so is their complete confusion as to why they are being discriminated against. Adam is violently attacked, all because he is deemed as different. In this particular case, his attackers violent remove his limbs as they are under the impression that body parts of Albino people contain magical powers.

Rather than delving into this belief, the film chooses to focus on the futility of othering, that no one is really that different and much less so should be in any form persecuted for it. It does a fantastic job of showing the albino characters' humanity as they themselves try to come to grips with why they are being persecuted for something they have no control over.

Every day this week a different writer will provide their perspective on our MUBIVIEWS film and each post will be open to comments from our readers. Watch THE BOY FROM GEITA on mubi.com until 13 July 2017 and join the discussion!

curator's note

For the final MUBIVIEWS of the summer, our writers to consider Vic Sarin’s THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014), a harrowing documentary that examines albinism within Tanzanian culture and the people that are persecuted because of it​.

DEATH OF THE AUTHOR

SUMMER MANNING

THE BOY FROM GEITA (Vic Sarin 2014) features testimonials from people with albinism who have suffered persecution and physical violence. In the documentary, the eponymous boy, Adam Robert and a Tanzanian woman named Mariamu Staford both describe how they were mutilated. The audience later learn that this was part of the barbaric industry of witchdoctors using albino body parts to create strong potions which superstition dictates will bring luck and wealth. The director intended to build tension by cutting between Adam and Mariamu’s stories, however this is disorienting for the viewer. While the editing of the piece causes confusion throughout, it is especially prevalent in the recreations of the violence.

Recreated scenes are used to present the events that Adam and Mariamu describe, such as point of view shots of an attacker with a weapon walking through a house which are intertwined with the narration. As the editing quickly cuts between them, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the nuances of the individual stories. While Sarin perhaps chose this technique to illustrate the similarities between the stories, it is ineffective and may have had a bolder impact had the interviews been shown one after the other as it would make more sense to the audience. ​THE BOY FROM GEITA suffers from issues with editing from the beginning. Key figures are suddenly introduced and each simply begin by talking, with little initial explanation as to who they are or where they fit within the narrative. It is detrimental to the film that the details of each person’s significance are revealed gradually. This is unconventional for a documentary and off-putting as it defies audience expectation of the genre in a jarring fashion. Sarin’s reasoning for making those editing choices no longer matters when the final product is delivered to the audience, as we all take our own interpretations from the text. Attempting to evoke sympathy, THE BOY FROM GEITA’s illogical editing style only manages to confuse its viewer.

Every day this week a different writer will provide their perspective on our MUBIVIEWS film and each post will be open to comments from our readers. Watch THE BOY FROM GEITA on mubi.com until 13 July 2017 and join the discussion!

curator's note

For the final MUBIVIEWS of the summer, our writers to consider Vic Sarin’s THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014), a harrowing documentary that examines albinism within Tanzanian culture and the people that are persecuted because of it​.

NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE

MATTHEW WEARS

Documentaries have the unique ability to expose topics that otherwise do not get the attention they deserve. They employ narrative techniques that present their audience with a character or characters that fit into a grander theme. Vic Sarin’s harrowing and uncompromising THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014) does exactly this. However, the documentary struggles to make what should have been an engaging, captivating story into a cohesive piece of work. Difficult editing is arguably the film’s most problematic characteristic, with a lack of focus causing major issues throughout. Many sequences and characters are either hard to follow, or just hard to understand why they made their way into the film in the first place.

There are two distinct halves to the documentary with the first following Adam Robert’s tragic life of unimaginable abuse and injustice due to his albinism, whilst the latter half focuses on the intervention of wealthy Canadian entrepreneur, Peter Ash, who also has the same condition. The jump between the two separate characters can be jarring and it is confusing as to what the main focus of the film is. This confusion is increased with the addition of other characters, such as an older male whose introduction at the beginning of the film would have the audience believe he would be a pivotal character throughout. This is also the case for the mother who lost both arms in a horrifically barbaric attack. While her story is shocking, her character is not developed fully at all and, after her story is told, she fades into obscurity.

Despite its flaws, THE BOY FROM GEITA still manages to engage its audience enough to get the core message of the film across. The stories are devastating to the point where it is hard to believe they are true, and the film’s unrelenting approach to graphic images only adds fuel to its fight. It must be commended for bringing such a specific and painfully under-discussed topic to light for Western audiences, but could have been executed in a far more cohesive manner in order for it to reach its full potential.

Every day this week a different writer will provide their perspective on our MUBIVIEWS film and each post will be open to comments from our readers. Watch THE BOY FROM GEITA on mubi.com until 13 July 2017 and join the discussion!

curator's note

For the final MUBIVIEWS of the summer, our writers to consider Vic Sarin’s THE BOY FROM GEITA (2014), a harrowing documentary that examines albinism within Tanzanian culture and the people that are persecuted because of it​.

TANZANIAN DEVILS

STEVEN FEGAN

At its core, THE BOY FROM GEITA (Vic Sarin 2014) explores the personal struggle of Tanzanian individuals who suffer from Albinism. However there are wider implications of the documentary that suggests that the government is complicit in the sale of albino body parts and therefore a more serious issue of potential corruption throughout the East African region is presented.

The documentary for the most part follows teenager Adam Robert, whose hands were mutilated and sold to witch doctors as it is believed that the body parts of those with Albinism will bring good fortune. By having the narrator speak candidly with Adam and other members of his community, the documentary provides a personal account and this inevitably resonates to a far greater extent than focusing on potential government involvement alone. By doing so, the documentary sheds light on an issue that may not have been as prominently covered in the media before and exposes the murdering of albino people throughout Tanzania and wider Africa.

Adam's personal story is prevalent throughout the documentary and it is the young boy’s lack of actual dialogue that makes his plight that much more sorrowful. Instead of addressing the brutal attack that left him without several fingers, the documentary instead focuses on Adam’s personal life goals and ambitions and even goes so far as to re-enact dreams and nightmares that the young boy has. By doing so, we are drawn into Adam’s life and are along for the journey to America where he is due to get a life-altering operation. Ultimately, what we can see carries far greater emotional impact than what we are told.

Every day this week a different writer will provide their perspective on our MUBIVIEWS film and each post will be open to comments from our readers. Watch THE BOY FROM GEITA on mubi.com until 13 July 2017 and join the discussion!